Inventions come in all shapes and sizes. Some are as simple as purple catsup. Others push the limits of quantum physics. The real measure of an invention is not just how well it works or how impressively it is engineered, but how it changes our lives.

Nuvaring Birth Control

Inventor: Organon

Some women hate taking pills. Others wince at the thought of implants or injections. Now there's a new choice for long-term birth control. In early October the FDA approved use of the NuvaRing, a thin flexible plastic ring that women can flatten like a rubber band and insert once a month into the vagina. Moisture and body heat activate the release of the same progestin and estrogen found in low-dose birth-control pills. Its makers say that NuvaRing is just as effective at preventing pregnancy and may cause fewer complications than the Pill.